The Pritzker School of Medicine at the University of Chicago announced that it will not participate in U.S. News & World Report’s annual “Best Medical Schools” ranking next year due to concerns about the publication’s methodology and the impact the ratings system has on ensuring equity in medical education.
Tag: University Of Chicago
Martha Gulati, MD, Named Anita Dann Friedman Endowed Chair in Women’s Cardiovascular Medicine and Research
Martha Gulati, MD, director of Preventive Cardiology and associate director of the Preventive and Rehabilitative Cardiac Center in the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai, has been named the Anita Dann Friedman Endowed Chair in Women’s Cardiovascular Medicine and Research.
Triple-drug therapy for post-transplant management of multiple myeloma
Promising results from an ongoing clinical trial a three-drug treatment may improve survival in patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma who have undergone preliminary treatment followed by a stem cell transplant.
UCMC named ‘Top Teaching Hospital’ by leading industry watchdog Leapfrog Group
The University of Chicago Medical Center has been named a “Top Teaching Hospital” by The Leapfrog Group for the fifth time, recognizing the academic medical center’s long record of providing patients with safe, world-class healthcare while educating future clinicians. The industry watchdog organization designated 58 academic medical centers across the country as “Top Teaching Hospitals” on its 2022 Top Hospitals list, which was published Tuesday, December 6.

Sunil Kumar Appointed Tufts University’s Next President
Sunil Kumar, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at Johns Hopkins University, has been named the next president of Tufts University by the Board of Trustees.
$10 million gift to support ALS research, educational outreach at local high schools
The University of Chicago has received a $10 million gift from the Lohengrin Foundation to help establish a center of excellence in research on amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and other neurodegenerative diseases. ALS and its related conditions are devastating neurological diseases. Also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, ALS progressively destroys nerve cells that control body movements, and affects as many as 30,000 Americans each year.

Smidt Heart Institute Welcomes New Director of Preventive Cardiology
Martha Gulati, MD, an expert in preventive cardiology and women’s heart disease, has joined the Smidt Heart Institute as director of Preventive Cardiology, associate director of the Preventive and Rehabilitative Cardiac Center and associate director of the Barbra Streisand Women’s Heart Center in the Department of Cardiology.
Physicists confront the neutron lifetime puzzle
To solve a long-standing puzzle about how long a neutron can “live” outside an atomic nucleus, physicists entertained a wild but testable theory positing the existence of a right-handed version of our left-handed universe.
UChicago and Rush receive $20 million NIH grant to build health disparities research network
The University of Chicago and Rush University have received a $20 million, five-year grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to establish a Center for Multiple Chronic Diseases Associated with Health Disparities.
For Many Students, Double-dose Algebra Leads to College Attainment
In the United States, low-income and minority students are completing college at low rates compared to higher-income and majority peers — a detriment to reducing economic inequality. Double-dose algebra could be a solution, according to a new study.
Ivan Samstein named CFO for University of Chicago Medical Center
University of Chicago CFO Ivan Samstein has been appointed Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for the University of Chicago Medical Center, effective June 30, 2021.
UChicago Medicine designated SOAP Center of Excellence for obstetric anesthesia
UChicago Medicine has been designated by the Society for Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology as a SOAP Center of Excellence for its obstetric anesthesia program.
UChicago scientists wrestle with the apocalypse in new course
A new UChicago course titled “Are We Doomed?” grapples with topics surrounding the apocalypse
Physicist-Neuroscientist Brent Doiron to Lead the Grossman Center for Quantitative Biology and Human Behavior
The University of Chicago has recruited Brent Doiron, PhD, as the inaugural director of the Grossman Center for Quantitative Biology and Human Behavior. The Grossman Center, established with a gift from University of Chicago Trustee Sanford Grossman, AB’73, AM’74, PhD’75, fosters partnerships between theorists and experimentalists to address fundamental questions of how brain circuits generate complex human behaviors.
University of Chicago scientists design “Nanotraps” to catch and clear coronavirus from tissue
Researchers at the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering (PME) at the University of Chicago have designed a completely novel potential treatment for COVID-19: nanoparticles that capture SARS-CoV-2 viruses within the body and then use the body’s own immune system to destroy it.

Icy clouds could have kept early Mars warm enough for rivers and lakes, study finds
A new study led by University of Chicago planetary scientist Edwin Kite finds Mars could have had a thin layer of icy, high-altitude clouds that caused a greenhouse effect, allowing rivers and lakes to flow.
CUR Psychology Division Announces 2021 Psychology Research Awardees
The Psychology Division of the Council on Undergraduate Research announces the 2021 recipients of its Psychology Research Awards. The recipients are undergraduate students conducting original psychological research, who receive awards of up to $500 per project.
Vineet Arora, MD, Appointed Dean for Medical Education at the University of Chicago
Vineet Arora, MD, has been appointed Dean for Medical Education of the University of Chicago Biological Sciences Division, succeeding Halina Brukner, MD, who is retiring.

Nation’s first quantum startup accelerator, Duality, launches at the University of Chicago’s Polsky Center and the Chicago Quantum Exchange
The University of Chicago’s Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation and the Chicago Quantum Exchange today announced the launch of Duality, the first accelerator program in the nation that is exclusively dedicated to startup companies focused on quantum science and technology—a rapidly emerging area that is poised to drive transformative advances across multiple industries.

Exploiting cancer cells to aid in their own destruction
Researchers at the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering at the University of Chicago have developed a new therapeutic vaccine that uses a patient’s own tumor cells to train their immune system to find and kill cancer.

Interception mission to confirm ‘Oumuamua, other interstellar objects, in the works
CHICAGO – ‘Ouamuamua, the first observed interstellar object, zipped through our solar system back in October 2017 — and astronomers have been trying to understand it ever since. While some researchers speculated it could be a comet, asteroid, or even…

There might be many planets with water-rich atmospheres
A new study by University of Chicago and Stanford University researchers suggests that hot, rocky exoplanets could not only develop atmospheres full of water vapor, but keep them for long stretches.

UChicago scientists invent material inspired by bone that can strengthen from vibration
Our bones adapt to strain and get stronger, and now robots could do the same. New research from Aaron Esser-Kahn demonstrates how a soft gel can become harder when exposed to vibration

Bacteria know how to exploit quantum mechanics, UChicago study finds
Photosynthetic organisms harvest light from the sun to produce the energy they need to survive. A new paper published by University of Chicago researchers reveals their secret: exploiting quantum mechanics.

Scientists confirm third-nearest star with a planet—and it’s rocky like Earth
MAROON-X instrument built by UChicago team measures its first planet, Gliese 486 b, which is located just over two dozen light-years from Earth in the direction of the constellation Virgo, and is also made out of rock—though it is hotter and three times larger than our home.

In New Step Towards Autonomous Materials, Researchers Design Patterns in Self-propelling Liquid Crystals
Imagine a capsule implanted in your body that automatically releases antibodies in response to a virus, or clothing that senses and captures contaminants from the air.
PME researchers have taken a step toward developing such autonomous materials by creating self-propelling liquid crystals and patterning their activity to control the movements of defects within the crystals.

Mars expert available to discuss Perseverance rover landing scheduled for Thursday
CHICAGO — On Thursday, Feb. 18, 2021, the Mars Perseverance rover is scheduled to make its descent onto the red planet, landing on the Jezero Crater. The mission is designed to better understand the geology and climate of Mars, and…

Ceramic chips inside meteorites hint at wild days of the early solar system
A new analysis of ceramic chips embedded in meteorites suggests the formation of our solar system was not as quiet and orderly as we once thought.

UChicago climate expert available to discuss Biden’s reversal of Keystone XL pipeline
Reporters and editors: President Joe Biden’s executive order revoking the 1,200-mile Keystone XL pipeline cross-border permit has experts weighing in on the long-term and short-term implications for renewable energy proponents. What does it mean for the Canadian workforce? Will key…
COVID-19 cases in India underreported by more than 20 million, according to new study
A new study, led by professors at the University of Chicago and Duke University, found that COVID-19 cases in the southern state of Karnataka, India, are nearly 95 times greater than reported.

Remdesivir disrupts COVID-19 virus better than other similar drugs
Using advanced computational simulations, researchers at the University of Chicago have revealed just how remdesivir works at the molecular level, and also found that two drugs that work in a similar manner, ribavirin and favilavir, do not bind as effectively to the virus.

UChicago scientists design stretchable electronics, perform better under strain
Recent technological advances have made stretchable sensors possible, but their changes in shape can affect the data produced, and many sensors cannot collect and process the body’s faintest signals. A new sensor design from the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering (PME) at the University of Chicago helps solve that problem.

UChicago receives $1.2 million grant to tackle lack of internet access across Chicago
In a new project funded by a $1.2 million grant from data.org, University of Chicago Computer Science Professor Nick Feamster will lead a team of UChicago researchers pinpointing gaps in digital infrastructure, from the lack of cable or fiber connectivity to a spotty video streaming session.

University of Chicago’s Polsky Center Launches New Deep Tech Accelerator
The Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the University of Chicago has launched the Compass, a first-of-its-kind deep tech accelerator program for early-stage startups and technologies created by researchers at the University of Chicago, Argonne National Laboratory, and Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory.

University of Chicago undergrads discover bright lensed galaxy in the early universe, despite pandemic barriers
A class of undergraduate astrophysics students at the University of Chicago helped discover a galaxy that dates back to a time when the universe was only 1.2 billion years old, about one-tenth of its current age.

UChicago scientists create first computational model of entire virus responsible for COVID-19
Researchers at the University of Chicago have created the first usable computational model of the entire virus responsible for COVID-19—and they are making this model widely available to help advance research during the pandemic.

UChicago experts available on legal, political, and societal ramifications of yesterday’s violence
CHICAGO — After yesterday’s unprecedented violence at the Capitol, University of Chicago experts are available to discuss the legal, political, and societal ramifications and what it means going forward. Please let me know if you are interested in setting up…

Adekunle Odunsi named new director of University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center
Adekunle “Kunle” Odunsi, MD, PhD, FRCOG, FACOG, an expert in immunotherapy and vaccine therapy for cancer, has been appointed director of the University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center. He comes to Chicago from Buffalo, New York, where he served as deputy director at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center.
UChicago bioinformatics team to create data infrastructure for global pediatric cancer initiative
The University of Chicago Pediatric Cancer Data Commons and The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society are working together to bring precision medicine to children and young adults with acute leukemia.

Lead Lab Selected for Next-Generation Cosmic Microwave Background Experiment
The largest collaborative undertaking yet to explore the relic light emitted by the infant universe has taken a step forward with the U.S. DOE’s selection of Berkeley Lab to lead the partnership of national labs, universities, and other institutions that are joined in the effort to carry out the DOE roles and responsibilities.
Study looks at smoking in pre-colonization North America
For the first time, researchers use a metabolomics approach to find more detailed information about how tobacco use and smoking practices changed after colonization in North America.
PARP inhibitor becomes new treatment option for some men with advanced prostate cancer
Results from an international clinical trial found that men with advanced prostate cancer who have mutated BRCA1/BRCA2 genes can be treated successfully with a targeted therapy known as rucaparib.
Thomas Jackiewicz Appointed President of University of Chicago Medical Center, COO of UChicago Medicine health system
Thomas E. Jackiewicz, a leader with extensive experience in top academic health systems and medical schools, has been appointed the new president of the University of Chicago Medical Center and chief operating officer of the UChicago Medicine health system, succeeding Sharon O’Keefe, who earlier announced her plans to retire in July 2020.

Researchers reveal the simple evolutionary origins of complex hemoglobin by resurrecting ancient proteins
Researchers trace the evolutionary origins of hemoglobin by resurrecting ancient proteins from more than 400 million years ago

$10 million gift accelerates research to improve cancer therapies, extend benefits to more patients
The David and Etta Jonas Center for Cellular Therapy is being established at the University of Chicago Medicine to accelerate research in hard-to-treat cancers.

UChicago Medicine begins clinical trial to explore convalescent plasma transfusions for COVID-19 patients
The University of Chicago Medicine is launching a clinical trial to study whether blood plasma from people who have recovered from COVID-19 can be used to treat patients who are still in the hospital with severe disease symptoms.
Surprise discovery shakes up our understanding of gene expression
A group of University of Chicago scientists has uncovered a previously unknown way that our genes are made into reality. Rather than directions going one-way from DNA to RNA to proteins, the latest study shows that RNA itself modulates how DNA is transcribed—using a chemical process that is increasingly apparent to be vital to biology. The discovery has significant implications for our understanding of human disease and drug design.
Gene discovery solves 51-year-old mystery cause of inherited pancreatitis
What began as a 51-year-old mystery comes down to a single gene, as researchers from the University of Chicago and University of California, San Francisco discovered the cause of a new inherited form of pancreatitis.
Rutgers Expert Available to Discuss ‘New Jersey’s Rising Coastal Risk’ Report
New Brunswick, N.J. (Oct. 29, 2019) – Rutgers University–New Brunswick Professor Robert E. Kopp is available to discuss “New Jersey’s Rising Coastal Risk,” a report released today on the seventh anniversary of Superstorm Sandy’s devastating arrival in the Garden State. The research…
University of Chicago scientists unveil the secret of cancer-associated Warburg effect
A new study, led by researchers at the University of Chicago, provides an answer to why cancer cells consume and use nutrients differently than their healthy counterparts and how that difference contributes to their survival and growth.